Lenny Kravitz Reissue Series Launches w/ 1st 5 LPs

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The first five albums by Lenny Kravitz—1989’s Let Love Rule, 1991’s Mama Said, 1993’s Are You Gonna Go My Way, 1995’s Circus and 1998’s 5—will be the focus of an extensive vinyl reissue campaign courtesy of Virgin/UMe, with each release appearing on 2-LP 180-gram black vinyl in addition to individualized limited-edition, color variants.

Lenny Kravitz’s first 5 albums are part of an extensive vinyl reissue campaign via Virgin/UMe

Both the 2-LP reissues and color variants for Mama Said, Are You Gonna Go My Way, Circus and 5 are all scheduled for release on Sept. 21, while Let Love Rule will kick off its 30th anniversary on Nov. 30. Four of the five double-LP reissues also feature non-album tracks, many of them appearing on vinyl for the very first time.

Lenny Kravitz

No two color-variants are the same, as Let Love Rule is 50/50 semi-transparent brown and yellow, Mama Said is marbled white and gray, Are You Gonna Go My Way is transparent red and transparent purple, Circus is solid white and transparent clear, and 5 is solid orange and solid white.

According to a press release announcing the series, “Let Love Rule established the template for Kravitz’s exploratory nature as an artist, as evidenced by the elegiac buildup of the title track and the poignant social commentary of ‘Mr. Cab Driver,’ a song as relevant today as it was when it was released 30 years ago. The complete 13-track album will be issued on vinyl for the first time.”

It continues: “Mama Said continued the thread, with the mid-tempo ballad ‘It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over’ (a #2 hit single featuring the Phenix Horns, of Earth, Wind & Fire fame) and the soul-drenched ‘Always on the Run’ (with a killer guest guitar turn from Slash) leading the charge. It appears on vinyl for the first time in the U.S. Are You Gonna Go My Way sealed Kravitz’s wide-ranging appeal, thanks to the abject ferocity of the title track and the international chart hit “Heaven Help.” On its 25th anniversary, the main album will be available on commercial vinyl for the first time and includes eight bonus tracks on vinyl for the first time.”

Meanwhile, Circus, now on vinyl for the first time in the U.S., “continued the man’s climb with the undeniable punch of ‘Rock And Roll Is Dead,’ while 5 took Kravitz to newer heights with the universal yearning of ‘Fly Away,’ which topped the singles charts in the United Kingdom as well as reaching #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts in the United States. “Fly Away” also earned Kravitz a Grammy Award in 1999 for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the album will be on vinyl for the first time ever.”

Many of the key songs from these five albums will be featured during Kravitz’s current Raise Vibration Tour 2018, which comes to the United States this fall following a spring and summer run in Europe and abroad.

Find tour dates for Lenny Kravitz and 100s of other classic rock artists here

Watch the video for “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over”